Shell catching accessory for firearms

ABSTRACT

A shell catcher for a gun having a shell ejector port for discharging shells outwardly from its barrel characterized by a catcher comprising a flexible, lightweight, downwardly depending sack that contains the ejected shells therewithin and that has its entry end maintained adjacent the shell ejector port by a frame of a first portion of an attaching means for removably attaching it to the gun. A significant aspect of a particular embodiment is the provision of an elongate sack in the form of a chute that is at least three feet long and that has a quick opening means adjacent its bottom end for dumping collected shells without having to remove the entry end from its connection with the gun. The elongate sack has a fastener for connecting its lower portion with the wearing apparel of a hunter for bearing a major portion of the weight of the collected shells. Also disclosed are the specific structural embodiments enabling removably attaching the entry end of the catcher to the first portion.

United States Patent [191 Linehan 1 Nov. 13, 1973 SHELL CATCHINGACCESSORY FOR FIREARMS [73] Assignee: James C. Fails, Fort Worth, Tex.;

a part interest [22] Filed: Mar. 27, 1972 211 Appl. No.: 238,205

[52] [1.8. CI 42/1 R [51] Int. Cl. F4lc 27/00 [58] Field of Search 42/lR; 89/33 F [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,153,981 l0/l964Brass 39/33 F 374,597 l2/l887 Gregg 42/1 R FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLICATIONS 89,957 4/l896 Germany 89/33 F 503,602 3/l920 France 89/33 F358,715 [H962 Switzerland I 89/33 F 563,739 8/l944 Great Britain 89/33 FPrimary Examiner-Benjamin A. Borchelt Assistant Examiner-C. T. JordanAttorney-Wm. T. Wofford et al.

[57] ABSTRACT A shell catcher for a gun having a shell ejector port fordischarging shells outwardly from its barrel characterized by a catchercomprising a flexible, lightweight, downwardly depending sack thatcontains the ejected shells therewithin and that has its entry endmaintained adjacent the shell ejector port by a frame of a first portionof an attaching means for removably attaching it to the gun. Asignificant aspect of a particular embodiment is the provision of anelongate sack in the form of a chute that is at least three feet longand that has a quick opening means adjacent its bottom end for dumpingcollected shells without having to remove the entry end from itsconnection with the gun. The elongate sack has a fastener for connectingits lower portion with the wearing apparel of a hunter for bearing amajor portion of the weight of the collected shells. Also disclosed arethe specific structural embodiments enabling removably attaching theentry end of the catcher to the first portion.

7 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures SHELL CATCHING ACCESSORY FOR FIREARMSBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This inventionrelates generally to firearms and, more particularly, to an accessoryfor catching empty shells ejected from the firearm. While notnecessarily limited thereto, the accessory has particular advantage foruse with shotguns of the semi-automatic type.

2. Description of the Prior Art Typical of the operation ofsemi-automatic and automatic firearms which eject shells is that of thesemiautomatic shotgun. When a semi-automatic shotgun is fired, the emptyshell is automatically ejected from its barrel after the firing of eachshot. The empty shell is ordinarily ejected in a sidewise directionthrough a shell ejector port provided for that purpose. The ejectedshells do not present a hazard to the shooter, or hunter, but mayprovide a hazard for any person standing close thereby, as in trapshooting. The throwing of shells upon a farmers land is a form ofpollution and damages the ecology. In addition, cows or other animalsmay eat the shells, so frequently the farmers require the ejected shellsto be picked up from their land to avoid any potential damage tolivestock. In any event, a hunter or shooter will frequently desire thecases for reloading, since the reloading is an economical hobbyproviding a considerable reduction in cost compared with purchasing newshells.

The shell catchers of the prior art have been divided mainly into twotypes. The first type comprises a rigid structure that is connected ontothe firearm. These types are illustrated by U.S. Pats. Nos. 2,354,277and 3,156,991. The other types of prior art shell catchers compriseindividual pieces such as ramrods, gate-like structures, or wire framesfor catching individual shells such that the shooter may thereafterreach up and pull the shell from the catcher and put it in a knap sackor the like in which he stores the shells. The latter type shellcatchers are exemplified by U.S. Pats. Nos. 3,087,387; 3,603,015 and3,609,900. It is apparent that the former types interfere with sightingand handling of the gun and are distracting. Similarly, the latter typerequire the shooter to reach up and pluck the empty shell from theretainer and prevents rapid shooting of the firearm.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a shellcatching accessory for use in connection with firearms that obviates thedisadvantages of the prior art apparatus.

It is another object of this invention to provide a shell catchingaccessory for use with a fire-arm in which the ejected shells arecollected automatically and retained in the shell catching accessoryuntil dumped therefrom, without requiring an additional accessory suchas a knap sack, and without interfering with the loading, sighting andhandling of the gun.

In a specific embodiment, it is an object of this invention to provide areplaceable, economical, lightweight catcher that satisfies all of theforegoing objects.

These and further objects will become apparent from the followingdescriptive matter, particularly when taken in conjunction with thedrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an isometric view of oneembodiment of this invention being employed by a shooter, or hunter.

FIG. 2 is a partial isometric view showing the attaching means of theembodiment of FIG. I.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a partial isometric view of a preferred embodiment of thisinvention showing the flexible, lightweight catcher and its fastener.

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of another embodiment of this inventionemploying a short flexible catcher.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIG. 1, the shellcatching accessory II is being employed on a semi-automatic shotgun 13by shooter 15. As the shooter l5 fires the shotgun 13, the empty shellsare ejected into the catcher l7 automatically and cumulatively.Accordingly, the shooter 15 can continue to fire the firearm withouthaving to reach up and pluck the shell from any holder. The majorportion of the weight of the ejected shells is borne by a fastener 19that connects the lower portion of the catcher 17 with the shooter'swearing apparel, such as his belt. The shell catching accessory I 1 doesnot interfere with the loading, sighting or handling of the shotgun 13.As can be seen more clearly in FIG. 5, the shotgun 13 has a shellejector port 18 for discharging a shell laterally outwardly from itsbarrel.

The shell catching accessory 11 comprises the catcher l7 and attachingmeans 21 for removably connecting the catcher 17 with the shotgun 13.The attaching means 21 includes a first portion 23, FIG. 2, and a secondportion 25. The first portion 23 has at least one mounting bracket forbeing mounted on shotgun 13 such that the first portion 23 does notinterfere with the normal loading, sighting and shooting of the gun. Forexample, the at least one mounting bracket may comprise a makeshiftmeans such as tape or the like wrapped around the gun and a linearbracket 39, FIG. 2, to which the first portion 23 is connected. Asillustrated, however, the first portion 23 has mounting brackets 27 ateach end for temporary mounting on the gun 13 without requiringmodification of the gun by a gunsmith. The brackets 27 may comprise anysuitable bracket. As illustrated, each bracket 27 comprises anencircling band 29 having a thumb tightenable knurled knob 3] driving atwo-way threaded shaft 33 for tightening or loosening the band 29 by wayof nuts 35 and 37. The two ends of the two-way threaded shaft 33 arethreaded in opposite directions, just as the nuts 35 and 37 areoppositely threaded to effect either tightening or loosening of band 29responsive to the respective direction of rotation of the knurled knob31 and threaded shaft 33. The brackets 27 may include conventionalscrews and nuts operable by a screwdriver and disposed beneath the gun.If desired, the first portion 23 may be semi-permanently mounted on thegun 13 by screws or the like engaging tapped apertures.

The first portion 23 has a receiving means 43 for disconnectablyconnecting with second portion 25. Specifically, the receiving means 43comprises a member 45 that is carried by the mounting bracket. Themember 45 has a longitudinally extending slot 47 having an externalportion 49 and an internal passageway 51. The external portion 49 of theslot is open at one end for slidably receiving a dual dimensioned memberof the second portion 25. The slot 47 is closed at its other end.Disposed intermediate its open and closed ends is at least one dead endslot 53. As illustrated, there are two dead end slots 53 that extendlaterally and peripherally from an intersection with the slot 47 forreceiving the dual dimensioned member for slidably retaining the secondportion 25 in place for receiving ejected shells. The dead end slots 53extend laterally and then longitudinally of the member 45 in an L-shapeto ensure reten tion of the second portion 25 in place.

In addition to the L-shaped dead end slots 53, a latch 55 is providedfor latching over the shaft 61 of the dual dimensioned member, describedin more detail hereinafter, to further ensure retention of the secondportion 25 in place until the latch is released.

The internal passageway 51 has a cross sectional dimension, such as adiameter, larger than the external portion 49 of the slot 47 forretaining therewithin an enlarged head portion of the dual dimensionedmember.

The second portion 25 is disconnectably connected with the first portion23. The second portion 25 includes a frame 57, FIGS. 2-5, that isdisposed opposite the shell ejector port such that the shells ejectedfrom the shell ejector port will pass through the frame 57 and into thecatcher 17. The second portion 25 includes a dual dimensioned member 59that is connected with the frame 57. The dual dimensioned member 59 hasat least one shaft 61 and has an enlarged head portion 63, FIGS. 2 and3. The shaft 61 has a cross sectional dimension, such as a diameter,less than the cross sectional dimension of the external portion 49 ofthe slot 47 so as to slide therewithin. The enlarged head portion 63 hasa cross sectional dimension greater than the cross sectional dimensionof the external portion 49 and less than the cross sectional dimensionof the internal passageway 51 of the slot 47 so as to be slidinglyretained within the internal passageway 51 by the external portion 49 ofthe slot 47. The dead end slots 53 have substantially the same crosssectional dimension as does the external portion 49 such that they willreceive the shafts 61 to keep the second portion 25 from inadvertentlysliding out of engagement with the first portion 23. As illustrated,there are two shafts 61 which are connected with the enlarged headportion 63 to form the dual dimensioned member 59 in the form of aT-shape at each end, the enlarged head portion 63 forming the cross barof the T. In fact, when the two T- shaped portions are put together, thedual dimensioned member comprises a rr-shaped member. The shafts 61 ofthe 'n-shaped member are spaced apart the same distance as are the deadend slots 53 such that the enlarged head portion 63 can he slid down theinternal passageway 51 and the shafts 61 pivoted into the dead end slots53 to easily connect the second portion 25 with the first portion. Yet,the second portion 25 is easily disengaged, or disconnected, from thefirst portion 23 by the simple expedient of pivoting the shafts 61 outof engagement with the dead end slots 53 and sliding the dualdimensioned member out the open end of slot 47.

The catcher 17 comprises a flexible lightweight sack having an entry end67 that is maintained open to receive ejected shells and a bottom end 69that is at least closable to retain the ejected shells within thecatcher 17. The catcher 17 is at least six inches long. Preferably, itis in the form of a chute that is at least three feet long such that itcan be worn across the body of the hunter with its lower portionconnected with the wearing apparel of the hunter for bearing the majorportion of the weight of the ejected shells. l have found that, withtall shooters, the catcher 17 may be four feet or more in length andperform satisfactorily. The entry end 67 is connected with the frame 57of the second portion 25 to ensure receipt of the ejected shells. Asillustrated, the entry end 67 includes an encircling means forencircling at least a portion of the frame 57. The encircling means maycomprise a portion of the sack that is looped around the frame and sewedthereabout. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the encircling means comprises aportion of the sack that contains mating snaps such that the portion maybe removably looped about the frame 57 and the snaps 71 snappedtogether. In this way, the encircling means is removably connected withthe frame 57 to facilitate emplacement of a catcher 17 and to facilitateremoval and replacement of the catcher 17 when it becomes worn. Thesnaps 71 are conventional and ordinarily comprise male and femaleportions that are pushed toward each other for engagement and pulledapart for disengagement. Any other means that may readily connect theencircling means together may be employed for removably fasten ing theentry end to the frame 57.

The catcher 17 preferably has a quick opening means adjacent its bottomend for dumping collected shells without requiring removal of thecatcher 17 from the gun 13. Specifically, the bottom end 69 may comprisequick opening means; such as, a drawstring, or snaps 74, FIG. 4, similarto the aforementioned snaps 71. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the bottom end69 has a drawstring 71 for closing it. If desired, the catcher 17 maycomprise a short sack that is closed at its bottom end 69, since theentry end is so readily removed by simply pivoting the second portion 25and sliding it out of engagement with the first portion 23.

Where the more elongate sacks are employed as the catcher 17, it ispreferable that a fastener 19 be connected with the lower portion of thecatcher 17 for connecting with the hunters wearing apparel as indicatedhereinbefore. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the fastener 19 maycomprise a conventional holder having a loop 73 for encircling the beltof the wearer. Numerous other conventional fasteners can be employed tosustain a major portion of the weight of the collected shells andtransfer it onto the wearing apparel of the shooter 15.

The sack serving as the catcher 17 may comprise a lightweight, strongmaterial, such as nylon or nylon netting. The mesh of the material neednot be particularly closely woven, although it should have openingssmaller than the minimum cross sectional dimension of the shells thatwill be ejected thereinto. The sack has a cross sectional dimension,such as diameter, in the fully open position that will be sufficient toreceive the ejected shells freely. Ordinarily, this is a relativelysmall dimension ranging from only an inch or so to no more than sixinches.

In operation, the first portion 23 will be emplaced on the gun 13 byeither the temporary or permanent mounting brackets, such as brackets 27and lineal bracket 39. The catcher 17 will be connected with the frame57 of the second portion 25. The second portion 25 is connected with thefirst portion 23 by sliding the enlarged head portion 63 of the dualdimensioned member 59 down internal passageway 5 l and the externalportion 49 of the slot 47, and then pivoting the shafts 61 into the deadend slots 53. Thus, the second portion is retained in place and itsinadvertently sliding from engagement with the first portion 23 isprevented. If a latch 55 is employed, it is looped around at least oneof the shafts 61 to further ensure retention of the second portion 25 inplace, with the frame 57 and entry end 67 of the catcher 17 disposedopposite the shell ejector port of the gun l3. Thereafter, as can beseen in FIG. 5, as the shells are ejected from the port following eachshot, they pass through the frame 57 and into the catcher 17. When theshooter returns to his car or the like he dumps the shells from thecatcher 17 and continues his hunting or shooting. The dumping may be bysimply releasing the drawstring 71 and shaking the shells from thecatcher 17. On the other hand, it may be snapping open snaps 74 in theembodiment of FIG. 4, or even the removal of a short catcher 17 bysliding the second portion 25 from engagement with the first portion 23and dumping the shells from the entry end of the catcher 17, where ithas a closed bottom end. When the days shooting is finished, the secondportion 25 may be detached from the first portion 23 and the fastener 19disconnected from the wearing apparel of the shooter 15. The gun 13 maybe stored in its normal storage place with the first portion 23 mountedthereon. The second portion 25 and the catcher 17 may be suitably storedin their storage space. Since the catcher 17 comprises the flexiblelightweight sack, it will take up very little storage space.

Thus, it can be seen that this invention provides all of the objectsdelineated hereinbefore and obviates the disadvantages of the prior artshell catching devices. In particular, it provides a lightweight shellcatcher that does not interfere with loading, sighting and handling ofthe gun, yet enables the shooter to shoot rapidly without having toreach up and remove individual shells after each shot.

Although this invention has been described with a certain degree ofparticularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has beenmade only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details ofconstruction and the combination and arrangement of parts may beresorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of thisinvention.

What is claimed is:

l. A shell catching accessory for a gun having a shell ejector port fordischarging a shell outwardly from its barrel comprising:

a. attaching means for removably connecting a catcher with said gun;said attaching means having:

i. a first portion having at least one mounting bracket for beingmounted on said gun such that said first portion does not interfere withnormal loading, sighting and shooting of said gun; and

ii. a second portion that is disconnectably connected with said firstportion; said second portion including a frame disposable opposite saidshell ejector port such that shells ejected from said shell ejector portwill pass through said second portion; and

b. a catcher comprising a flexible, lightweight sack that is at leastthree feet long; said sack having:

i. an entry end connected to said second portion such that said entryend is maintained open to receive said shells;

ii. a bottom end pendent from said entry end, said bottom end beingadapted to retain ejected shells therewithin and having a quick openingmeans adjacent its bottom end for dumping collected shells withoutremoving said catcher from said gun; and

iii. a fastener carried on the lower portion of said sack for fasteningit to the wearing apparel of a shooter for sustaining a major portion ofthe weight of the collected shells without hampering the handling of thegun.

2. A shell catching accessory for a gun having a shell ejector port fordischarging a shell outwardly from its barrel comprising:

a. attaching means for removably connecting a catcher with said gun;said attaching means having:

i. a first portion having at least one mounting bracket for beingmounted on said gun such that said first portion does not interfere withnormal loading, sighting and shooting of said gun; said first portionincluding a first member having a longitudinally extending slot havingan external portion that is open at one end for insertion of at leastone dual dimensioned member and that has its other end closed; saidfirst member having at least one laterally extending dead end slot forreceiving said dual dimensioned member; said dead end slot intersectingsaid external portion of said slot near its closed end; said slot alsohaving an internal passageway of cross sectional dimension larger thanthe cross sectional dimension of said external portion; and

. a second portion that is disconnectably connected with said firstportion; said second portion including a frame disposable opposite saidshell ejector port such that shells ejected from said shell ejector portwill pass through said second portion; said second portion including atleast one dual dimensioned member connected with said frame; said dualdimensioned member having a shaft of a cross sectional dimension lessthan the cross sectional dimension of said external portion of said slotso as to slide therewithin and having an enlarged head portion of crosssectional dimension greater than the cross sectional dimension of saidexternal portion of said slot and less than the cross sectionaldimension of said internal passageway of said slot so as to be slidablyretained within said internal passageway by way of said external portionof said slot; said laterally extending dead end slot being adapted toreceive said shaft and keep said second portion from inadvertentlysliding out of engagement with said first portion; and

b. a catcher comprising a flexible, lightweight sack;

said sack having:

i. an entry end connected to said second portion such that said entryend is maintained open to receive said shells; and

ii. a bottom end pendent from said entry end, said bottom end beingadapted to retain ejected shells therewithin;

whereby ejected shells are directed by said second portion into andcollected within said catcher.

3. The shell catching accessory of claim 2 wherein said dead end slotextends laterally and then longitudinally and wherein a latch isprovided adjacent said dead end slot for latching said shaft when it isslid into said dead end slot to ensure retention of said second portionin place until said latch is released.

4. The shell catching accessory of claim 2 wherein said dual dimensionedmember comprises at least'one T-shaped member, the cross bar portion ofthe T comprising the enlarged head portion thereof.

5. The shell catching accessory of claim 2 wherein said dual dimensionedmember comprises a 1r-shaped member having two shafts and, serving asthe enlarged head portion thereof, a cross bar and wherein said firstportion includes two laterally extending dead end slots spaced apart thesame distance as said shafts for receiving the two shafts of said1r-shaped member.

6. A shell catcher for use with a second portion of an attaching meansfor removably connecting a shell catching accessory to a gun having ashell ejector port for discharging a shell outwardly from its barrel;said second portion being removably connectable with a first portionmounted on said gun and including a frame disposed opposite said shellejector port for directing shells into said shell catcher; comprising anelongate, flexible, lightweight sack in the form of a chute at leastthree feet long; said sack having an entry end with encircling means forencircling at least a portion of said frame such that said entry endwill be maintained open to receive ejected shells and includingreleasable fasteners facilitating emplacement of the encircling means ofsaid entry end about said frame and facilitating removal and replacementof said catcher; said sack having a bottom end that is at least closablefor retaining ejected shells therewithin', and a fastener provided onthe lower portion of said catcher for fastening the lower portion to thewearing apparel of a shooter for sustaining a major portion of theweight of collected shells without hampering handling of the gun withwhich the entry end is connected.

7. The shell catcher of claim 6 wherein said shell catcher has a quickopening means adjacent its bottom end for dumping collected shellswithout removing said shell catcher from said gun.

1. A shell catching accessory for a gun having a shell ejector port fordischarging a shell outwardly from its barrel comprising: a. attachingmeans for removably connecting a catcher with said gun; said attachingmeans having: i. a first portion having at least one mounting bracketfor being mounted on said gun such that said first portion does notinterfere with normal loading, sighting and shooting of said gun; andii. a second portion that is disconnectably connected with said firstportion; said second portion including a frame disposable opposite saidshell ejector port such that shells ejected from said shell ejector portwill pass through said second portion; and b. a catcher comprising aflexible, lightweight sack that is at least three feet long; said sackhaving: i. an entry end connected to said second portion such that saidentry end is maintained open to receive said shells; ii. a bottom endpendent from said entry end, said bottom end being adapted to retainejected shells therewithin and having a quick opening means adjacent itsbottom end for dumping collected shells without removing said catcherfrom said gun; and iii. a fastener carried on the lower portion of saidsack for fastening it to the wearing apparel of a shooter for sustaininga major portion of the weight of the collected shells without hamperingthe handling of the gun.
 2. A shell catching accessory for a gun havinga shell ejector port for discharging a shell outwardly from its barrelcomprising: a. attaching means for removably connecting a catcher withsaid gun; said attaching means having: i. a first portion having atleast one mounting bracket for being mounted on said gun such that saidfirst portion does not interfere with normal loading, sighting andshooting of said gun; said first portion including a first member havinga longitudinally extending slot having an external portion that is openat one end for insertion of at least one dual dimensioned member andthat has its other end closed; said first member having at least onelaterally extending dead end slot for receiving said dual dimensionedmember; said dead end slot intersecting said external portion of saidslot near its closed end; said slot also hAving an internal passagewayof cross sectional dimension larger than the cross sectional dimensionof said external portion; and ii. a second portion that isdisconnectably connected with said first portion; said second portionincluding a frame disposable opposite said shell ejector port such thatshells ejected from said shell ejector port will pass through saidsecond portion; said second portion including at least one dualdimensioned member connected with said frame; said dual dimensionedmember having a shaft of a cross sectional dimension less than the crosssectional dimension of said external portion of said slot so as to slidetherewithin and having an enlarged head portion of cross sectionaldimension greater than the cross sectional dimension of said externalportion of said slot and less than the cross sectional dimension of saidinternal passageway of said slot so as to be slidably retained withinsaid internal passageway by way of said external portion of said slot;said laterally extending dead end slot being adapted to receive saidshaft and keep said second portion from inadvertently sliding out ofengagement with said first portion; and b. a catcher comprising aflexible, lightweight sack; said sack having: i. an entry end connectedto said second portion such that said entry end is maintained open toreceive said shells; and ii. a bottom end pendent from said entry end,said bottom end being adapted to retain ejected shells therewithin;whereby ejected shells are directed by said second portion into andcollected within said catcher.
 3. The shell catching accessory of claim2 wherein said dead end slot extends laterally and then longitudinallyand wherein a latch is provided adjacent said dead end slot for latchingsaid shaft when it is slid into said dead end slot to ensure retentionof said second portion in place until said latch is released.
 4. Theshell catching accessory of claim 2 wherein said dual dimensioned membercomprises at least one T-shaped member, the cross bar portion of the Tcomprising the enlarged head portion thereof.
 5. The shell catchingaccessory of claim 2 wherein said dual dimensioned member comprises a pi-shaped member having two shafts and, serving as the enlarged headportion thereof, a cross bar and wherein said first portion includes twolaterally extending dead end slots spaced apart the same distance assaid shafts for receiving the two shafts of said pi -shaped member.
 6. Ashell catcher for use with a second portion of an attaching means forremovably connecting a shell catching accessory to a gun having a shellejector port for discharging a shell outwardly from its barrel; saidsecond portion being removably connectable with a first portion mountedon said gun and including a frame disposed opposite said shell ejectorport for directing shells into said shell catcher; comprising anelongate, flexible, lightweight sack in the form of a chute at leastthree feet long; said sack having an entry end with encircling means forencircling at least a portion of said frame such that said entry endwill be maintained open to receive ejected shells and includingreleasable fasteners facilitating emplacement of the encircling means ofsaid entry end about said frame and facilitating removal and replacementof said catcher; said sack having a bottom end that is at least closablefor retaining ejected shells therewithin; and a fastener provided on thelower portion of said catcher for fastening the lower portion to thewearing apparel of a shooter for sustaining a major portion of theweight of collected shells without hampering handling of the gun withwhich the entry end is connected.
 7. The shell catcher of claim 6wherein said shell catcher has a quick opening means adjacent its bottomend for dumping collected shells without removing said shell catcherfrom said gun.